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Thursday, November 27, 2014

Communication has never been tougher earlier, what with
everyone hooked onto mobile or tablet games. I myself spend hours playing games
on my laptop, iPad or mobile to win elixirs, gold, money or points. Mobile and tablet games have grown exponentially in the last decades with people of all generation falling in love with it.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

I remember my toilet woes from the days when I got married and went to stay in my in-laws
home which was in Byndoor, a tiny village on coastal Karnataka. Being brought
up in a home which followed bathroom and toilet ethics, it was tough for me to
adjust to a place where there were no rules for bathroom or toilets. Are there
any bathroom and toilet rules and ethic you may ask in amazement, but once you
give a thought to it, you will realize every home follows some of their own
rules and ethics regarding bathroom/toilet behavior.

Check out which of these are relevant to your homes.

·Do not knock on toilet door. When they are done
they will come out.

·Wash your hands thoroughly after using toilet.

·Clean up your mess.

·Do not waste water.

·Do not talk when you are pooping or peeing.

·Do not hover around when others are using the
toilet.

·Respect privacy.

·Always lock the toilet door. You may embarrass
others by exposing your awkward position to them.

·Do not dribble on the floor.

·Flush toilets after use properly.

·Be fully dressed before walking out of toilet.

·Toilet walls are not for your creative
expressions. Leave them alone.

My elder sister was in charge of our bathroom and toilet
Etiquettes. She accepted no excuses. For me it was great shock to be in a place
where people did not follow any toilet etiquettes. The first time I saw a woman
walking out of the toilet holding her sari high and lowering it as she walked
back to her home; I was disgusted. I also ended up walking in on people pooping
or peeing because they did not lock the door. The annoyance of people calling
you, knocking on the door or pacing outside the toilet when you have business to
do is intolerable for those who have seen better conditions. At times I would be welcomed by a load of
crap left there without being flushed, or dots of urine spread around on toilet
floor. I hated cleaning other people’s mess, but I could not do anything about
it. It was just the way of life over there.

I could not wait to get back to my home and Pee in Peace.
Though we take it for granted, having a clean toilet where you can cleanse your
body of toxins is a great luxury. As I complained about the annoying toilet
conditions, I wondered how it would be for people to have no toilets to perform
simple function which cannot wait.

Girls like little Babli who have to use deserted places are
not just uncomfortable, but also at risk of being attacked by rapists or
molesters. If a change in toilet behaviors can be so annoying, I wonder how bad
it is not to have toilets at all!

The danger of using open spaces for toilets for girls hit
the nation when two young girls were audaciously attacked: raped and hanged
from a tree, when they went out to perform simple bodily functions. They had
gone missing on the night of May 27, when they went out to relieve themselves. Going
out in pairs for safety did not work for them. How safe is it for women and
girls to venture under the cloak of darkness before sunrise or after sunset to
relieve themselves?

So far we had seen human dignity being lost; now it is their
lives as well. We cannot blame our ever rising population for lack of toilets
for everyone, since we see China has more than a billion people, but according
to WHO only 1 out of every 100 people defecates out in the open; whereas in
India, 1 out of every 2 people use open spaces for toilets. This is the highest
rate in the world.

Another issue with open toilets is the health hazard
associated with it. Leaving bodily wastes in open contaminates food and water,
causing cholera or other diseases that kill 200,000 children in India; in addition,
it shunts the cognitive and mental development of children like little Babli.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak of non-government organization Sulabh
International says only 30% of Indians have access to clean and safe toilets. Why
our nation with so many exotic places of worship has ignored the basic needs of
human?

Domex has started an initiative
to provide toilets for girls like Babli under their initiative known as Toilet
for Babli, where "You
Click Domex Contributes". You can bring about the change in the lives of
millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All
you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” onwww.domex.inand Domex will contribute Rs.5 on your
behalf to eradicate open defecation, thereby helping kids like Babli live a
dignified life. Let us make life better,
safe and hygienic for Babli.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Blogadda came up with the innovative contest for bloggers
last week with collaboration with Quikr which was named #ShopQuikr. It was time to shop and have fun as well. I am not new
to Quikr. Though I have not bought many things from Quikr,I have sold few
things over there and made good money out of the sale as well. I don’t mean I made
thousands but it meant a lot because I could get rid of unwanted things lying
around the house and also earn some bucks by just posting free ads on the
website. Most of the things we put out for sale were those that were not being
used anymore and so were kind of garbage.

Buying products on Quikr was a new experience for me. So I
decided to have a look around the range the products available on the site. It was
difficult to make a choice of purchase there because I did not have any product
in mind when I clicked on the website. This was not the familiar online
shopping store for me, but one of the top classifieds platforms where the buyer
and seller connected through the medium of the Quikr. The products could be
viewed online, but the deal had to be done offline. I am used to finishing off
the deal online, so had some doubts before venturing further.

Since I was at the computer table, I decided to look around
for a computer table, since my old table was depleted and falling apart. It also made this corner of my home look unkempt with its height and way it was made.

I dialed the
number of the person who lived in Hebbal, which is in another part of Bangalore. The deal was done in minutes. I was not sure that he
would transport the product all the way to Hulimavu which is quite some
distance. But, keeping his word, this seller delivered the product to my home
the same evening for no extra charges. This was one of quickest and easiest
online deal I have ever made. Now my laptop has a matching table and also
lockers to keep my Pen-drives and other computer accessories safe.

Now that I had got what I wanted it was time to have fun by
surfing through the 13 categories and more than 150 sub-categories of products
to choose from. There were wide range of mobile phones, laptops, real estate
deals and also cars and bikes for sale at reasonable prices. Some smart people
have posted products which cost you less in market when you buy them new. Is
this the way of fooling people or have they bought this products from places
which charge customers more? I am not sure.

I wanted my second purchase to be in the used item category because
that would complete my shopping experience on Quikr. There were quite some good
products I wanted to buy, like a bean bag, center table, shoe rack etc, but I had
to purchase my next product in the range of 1800-2000/- rupees according to the
conditions of the contest. Hence I made use of the filter available on the
website to choose latest products posted in the range below Rs.2000/-.

Finally after being told by the sellers that the products I am
looking for was not available anymore for about 7 times, I found an attractive
3 shelved glass table which caught my fancy. I actually did not have any idea
where to set this table up in my home or what exactly to do with it, but I knew
I would end up buying this product since I loved the way it was made.
Link: http://bangalore.quikr.com/table-with-glass-shelves-all/table-with-glass-shelves/x23?sx=true

I called
up the number of the seller, who did not respond to the call. I was wondering
whether to surf further for other products, when the owner called me back. I
informed that I had seen the ad on Quikr about the glass top table and was
interested in buying the product. She was a sweet speaking girl called Leena,
who told me that the price would not be negotiable because the product was
sparsely used. She was moving out of town; hence, she was selling most of her
household furniture along with this tiny table. The owner was a situated in
Murgeshpalya, again a far off place from where I stay, and this time around I had
to arrange for the transport of the table. Again the deal was finalized in less
than 5 minutes.

After asking her to keep the product reserved for me, I
asked my brother and son to pick up the table. The seller sent over her address
through sms, we went there, paid the lady in cash, and brought the table home. It
is as simple as that.

I set up my speakers on the table for now. I may find some better use for it in future.

Shopping on Quikr is quite quick, because most of the deals
can be done within a day. This is much faster than the online shopping where
the products may take more than 10 days to reach your doorstep. The tagline – ‘No
Fikar, Bech Quikr’ looks appropriate as well since most of the products I tried
to purchase were sold out when I tried to purchase them. One of those ads was
just posted 2 hours ago. That means the used product was sold out in less than
2 hours! So I think it is time for me to check out what unused products are
lying around my home to post ad on Quikr. After an awesome experience shopping,
it is now time for some awesome experience selling products.

'Free Shopping Fiesta campaign of Quikr.com'.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

I very often come across the ads about energy drinks or
other energizers which give you enough strength to keep going even as you are
ready to crash. I have never taken refuge in those energizers because my kids
have done that for me. They can keep me awake the whole night, push me to walk
that extra mile, motivate me to fly high and also keep my back from breaking
with the last straw. The last thing I want is to see them sick or sad. I love
to watch them glowing in complete health and smiling their days away. Being first
or winning accolades do not matter as much to me as to watch them smile.

Now that they have grown up, they have become my support
system in a different way by lending me a hand in managing my life. In fact, I shudder
to imagine my life without Rayyan, who is a great help to me in everything I do.

My kids have faced different challenges in their lives but they
have dealt with it at their best. Farheena, though a special needs child has
seldom seen the doctor with a cold, fever or cough. She has been to the
hospital only for her special needs which includes physiotherapy, speech
therapy or the triple fusion surgery on her foot. If not for those challenges,
she has been one of the healthiest children I have come across.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t so fortunate with my first born son.
Though Rayyan was smart and healthy kid, he suffered from continuous bouts of
cough, fever or colds which kept him away from school. My parents were very
reluctant to let him go out much, because they were afraid he would catch an
infection. The indoor made him more vulnerable to infections and he was sick so
often. This finally turned into a vicious cycle which went on and on without an
end.

I knew I had to take him out and make him play in dirt to
get him fit, but I could not do that without giving my parents a heart attack
(or they attacking me for trying to kill their precious grandson). One fine
day, I was struck with a bright idea when watching the idiot box. There was
this ad of Dabur
Chyawanprash where the grandma lovingly fed her grandson the halwa to
increase his immunity. I remembered how my parents had tried to make Rayyan eat the Halwa, but he refused because he was a fussy eater and did not like the consistency of the halwa.

I took Rayyan into my confidence and told him that he should
promise his grandparents to take the Dabur Chyawanprash regularly so that they
would confidently allow him to play outdoors. The boy agreed and we presented
our plan to the grandparents. Rayyan will take the Dabur Chyawanprash regularly
and they will allow him to play outdoors, be it in rain or sun. The
grandparents were happy and said yes to this. Slowly Rayyan changed from a weak
and sick boy, to a healthy outdoor person who loved cycling, walking, playing football,
climbing trees and swimming.

His journey with outdoors activity began thus and recently
ended with his 4 day cycling trail on the Western Ghats which was called ‘Ghats2Ocean’.

He seldom falls sick and has great stamina. He can go cycling, walking or
working for hours without being tired. Finally, today he has ended up being the
only fit and healthy person in my family. The rest are either couch potatoes or
sick every other day with something or other. May be I should show them the Dabur
Chyawanprash ad to bring about a change.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

We are a team called The Spellbinders who have been bound
together by our team spirit, sense of humor and camaraderie. We are
collaborating and writing a story for the Blogadda challenge "Game of
Blogs". I feel we have successfully met the challenge of BA who asked 10
cooks to cook a broth with the ingredients they provided. To know about us, join us here.

The Shadows Gather

Malik woke up sweating.
He, never in his memory, had such a horrible dream. He got up from the chair he was sitting and
moved painfully to his bed, but did not lie down.

He turned on the news channel on the television. The reporter had a garish blue and red screen
to her side where graphics of a group of hooded figures did a strange dance
around a skeleton. The ticker tape said,
“Little Girl saved by divine intervention from Tantrics”.

He winced. He knew
the story, a girl had been lured away from a fishermen’s village in coastal
south India. She had been drugged and
tied to a stake while she was being knifed, slowly and deliberately. Her brothers had followed thinking it was
some kind of a funny game. But the sight that awaited them was horrible.
Alarmed one of them ran back and got the whole village to attack and rescue the
girl. Those freaks that were doing this
had fled by then. It had a dark,
moonless night. The brothers remembered
that the people were heavily cloaked and their hands were tattooed. The freaks even sang and danced like some
scary shadows thrown by flames on a windy night.

“Mind Freaks,” Aryan had called his book. Well, he did have a freaky mind and extremely
weird taste in research. What was more
disturbing was that just as he found Aryan’s research, this case had been
picked up by the TV news channels.
Coincidence? Or divine design as
the news reader called it. He drank two
glasses of water and shook his head.
Sleep was impossible now. The
body of the girl found in Mumbai had knife marks too.

He walked out where the police jeep was parked. His driver was asleep in the garage. He shook him gently and said, “Sorry, but we
have to go.”

The driver grunted and got up. Working with Malik even for a short period
changed people. They became used to
erratic behavior from bosses. He drove
Malik to the hospital and once the man entered, he curled up on the back seat
of the jeep and slept.

Malik walked into the ward where Aryan was resting with a
book in his hand. For once Malik’s stoic face carried a gentle smile. Aryan
Ahuja, the young bespectacled mischievous man was quite different from the
serious book he held in his hand, “The Devil on the Doorstep - My Escape from a
Satanic Sex Cult”. So far Aryan was the only person related to the case that
Malik had some positive feelings for; the rest were rotten apples, in one way
or other. Slowly in his mind, Malik did a serious evaluation of the people he
had met during the course of his investigation.

His initial softness for Shekhar had broken when he found
out how much he hated his girl and his peculiar response at her birth. A father
of a loving girl, he couldn’t imagine what man would do that and for what
reasons. The thoughts of his lovely Ruks made his heart feel so warm.

Tara was selfish woman who could step on heads to reach her
goals. Though she was a mother who was undergoing the trauma of not knowing
where her daughter was; for Malik, she was a pawn to be used to solve the
mystery of not just missing Roohi, but also the murders of many 9 year old
girls which had taken place in the past decade with some eerie connection
between them.

Jenny was nothing more than a gold-digger.

Cyrus was just a spoilt rich brat who was studying law, but
at the same time he thought himself to be above law. ‘God save his clients’
said Malik to himself with a chuckle that escaped his lips.

But here was a man who could help him in many ways to throw
some light on the people connected to this case. Wasn’t it a blessing from
above to find a neighbor to Datta’s and also childhood friend of Cyrus, who
studies people? Malik considered Aryan his trump card in this game filled with
dark mystery that brutally killed girls who had not enjoyed the world even for
a decade. He wanted to put the killer behind the bars, to show him what pain
is.

“Hi, couldn't sleep?” Aryan asked in his usual mischievous
way, before adding with exaggerated wonder written all over face, “and how come
they allowed you to see me?”

Malik shifted a bit uncomfortably. “Um, how are you feeling now?” he asked
Aryan.

“Oh, I see. The
policeman sneaked inside. Scared of the
nurses?”

“Very,” said Malik laughing openly now. “You definitely are better.”

“I am on my way to recovery, but the pain is still bothering
me” said Aryan wincing.

Aryan liked the gusty policeman who had what Aryan called
the coconut personality, all hard on outside but soft from within. Cyrus hated
this habit of his, to examine everyone, see through the exterior. He said it
was like disrobing people in public. He had a talent for this, something that
he did not learn on purpose. He could see people for what they are, unlike
Cyrus. This was the reason why Cyrus found Malik to be a very annoying
person.

Malik took a seat beside him and peeked into the cover of
the book, “The Devil on the Doorstep - My Escape from a Satanic Sex Cult”.

“More of the freaky minds for you Mister Aryan? Huh? I
couldn’t believe that such people exist among us” said Malik as a chill ran
down his spine.

“They do exist Sir,” said Aryan, as his eyes lost its
mischievous look, “At present I am reading account of Annabelle Foster who was
made to sleep with1800 men by her mother even before she was out of high school.
Her freaky mom followed a satanic cult that had weird sex orgies included in
their rituals. Fortunately she escaped
at the age of 18.”

“Her mother?” Malik almost shouted before checking himself
by reminding he was in a hospital, that too late in the night, or was it early
in the morning?

“Yes her mother” answered Aryan with deep pain resounding in
his voice.

“Your book and research have opened up a world I had not
known before and honestly I am sensing fear which I am not familiar with”, said
Malik, remembering the nightmare that had woken him up.

“You have my research papers?” Aryan faked anger.

Malik though taken aback initially could see through it.
“Yes” he confessed sheepishly. “Your
work is the reason why I am here at this odd hour”.

“There are dark
forces out there Mr. Malik, something that you haven’t seen in the people you
have locked up behind those cells. Those are normal criminals with simple
motives, here are the people who have more serious issues with darkest psyches
we have ever seen”, Aryan was lost in some thoughts as the words escaped from
him.

Something was amiss in the happenings of the past few days,
but he could only sense it; there was no way he could pinpoint it. That made
him very uneasy. It was like having something on the tip of your tongue but
being unable to utter it out loud.

“I feel so helpless being unable to catch the killer who is
mercilessly killing small girls so brutally that even Shaitan would shiver in
his boots. Over the last decade I have seen connection between 8 girls killed
without motives in a similar way. The evidence points at some kind of sacrifice
taking place, which makes me wonder whether more than 1 person is involved”

Aryan was listening with intent and he again had that uneasy
feeling of sensing the connection but unable to identify it.

Malik continued, “I think you can help me in this case with
your extensive knowledge about such cults and their ways”.

“Sure Malik Sir,” Aryan said with all the assurance he could
garner while being helpless on a hospital bed.

“But if you are to help me in this case, you are supposed to
keep your personal relations of being the best friend or neighbor aside”, Malik
said trying to measure how neutral Aryan could get.

“I will sir”, said Aryan imitating a soldier reporting to
his superior.

They both relieved the escalating tension and laughed. But,
Malik was serious once again.

“You mentioned that some people are born with devilish trait
and some with divine traits in your research. I cannot believe that. All men are
born equal” said Malik, trying to recall some points from Aryan’s research
papers.

“There are evidences that prove that to some extent. I am
still doing my research on it”, replied Aryan.

“Do you believe in the Satanic Cults? In our era?” Malik
still had trouble to believe about the shadowy figures that killed young girls.

“I have heard there are nearly 10 different cults operating
from Kochi alone”, said Aryan.

“You must have heard about the girl we rescued last week”.

“Yes, I did. Hope she recovers emotionally from this trauma”
said Aryan. He continued, “I was discussing the seeping of satanic cult into
Fort Kochi with Cyrus few months ago. He took time to go there and get some
photographs as well, but he did not find anything fishy”.

“What makes people worship Satan?” Malik was thinking aloud.

“That is not as complicated as you feel Mr. Malik errr Sir.
No matter what religion you belong, your worship gives spiritual power to the
good Supreme Being. But you need to follow a moral and chaste life to be in the
good books of God. Satanic worshippers are people of dark mind. They cannot
abide by the moral ethics hence they are trying hard to make Satan the
spiritual authority”.

“Do educated people believe in such rubbish Mr.Aryan?” asked
Malik not being able to accept this.

“Oh yes! There are many young, educated rich brats in the
cult” answered Aryan; very sure of what he was saying.

“You mean people like Cyrus?”

“Yes ‘like Cyrus’, but not him”, and then continued, “Most
of these people are pleasure seeking hedonists, who hold various memberships in
their cult. They try to reverse the power of divinity by doing everything
considered sacred in the reverse order or in a contradicting way. The prayers
are recited backwards, they follow incest, cannibalism, drinking and many do
many more activities which is forbidden in religious books”.

“Do you really think that normal people can become cannibals
by choice Mr. Aryan?” Malik was finding it difficult to accept the dark side of
humanity he was being exposed to.

“Drinking blood is a must in all satanic cults. How far is
cannibalism from that?” challenged Aryan.

“I don’t know what to say. I can handle the toughest goonda
on any day, but this is something I am not ready for”. Malik was looking ill at
ease and did not want to hear more for today.
He felt sick but he had one more thing to request.

“Can you sign a slip for me?”

“Are you robbing me of my fortune?” Aryan asked his
mischievous grin back on his face.

“Actually I took your books and papers to study. I need you to okay that for me.”

“On one condition,” Aryan said.

“Which is?” Malik asked.

“Come and visit me again Malik Sir, and when you do, get me
biryani and kebabs. Hospital food
sucks,” he said with a wink.

The Runaway Brat

Shekhar got up and stretched his thin frame. Again he had spent hours at the computer and
not written anything. His life, like his
unfinished manuscript was a mess. Should he just tear his life to pieces and
shove it down the throat of the dustbin? Everything happening in his life was
way beyond his control, especially the attraction Tara had for DD. The sparkle
in her eyes that he had seen at the launch of YTV for DD haunted Shekhar like a
witch’s curse. Shekhar groaned and banged his head against the desk.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Many people say that they know me quite well. When I ask
them what they know about me they usually come up descriptions that t I am
stubborn, I am brave, I work hard, I blog, I have survived cancer, I am doing
my M.S, I love my kids, I am lucky, I am
overconfident, I am counselor etc etc. It is kind of assumed by people who know
me that they know everything about me. How wrong they are. I am much more than
what any one person can know.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Pierre-Auguste Renoir said, "I've
been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black."

Black, the mysterious color! What
does it indicate to you; mystery, elegance, power, secret or authority? Since
ages unknown, Color black is one of the most misunderstood colors as people
often relate it to dark. Though pitch darkness looks black, we should notice
that it is not the color, but our lack of inability to see in the absence of
light which makes darkness eerie. Many of the established civilizations in the
past have held the black in high esteem. For example - Native Americans had high
opinion about the color black. They considered it to be color of fertility
since black soil gave life. In Japanese culture, black is a symbol of nobility,
age and wisdom, thus black belt is given as a mark of highest achievement in
martial arts. The color of the Abbasid Caliphs was also black, which is why we
see the black flags so frequently in Arab countries.

Friday, July 18, 2014

If you care to do justice to your life, then live your life
to fullest and also allow others to live their lives to the fullest as well. The new mantra should be, "Live happily and let others live happily". I consider
anything done halfheartedly as not done at all. I do things with a passion and add a dash of
humor to spice things up. I took life calmly until it started throwing
challenges at me. Instead of buckling under, I just started on the adventure of
life fighting my way through it and enjoying it like a video game. Gone are the
days, when I used to brood over things. Today, I cling on to happiness and fun
like a hungry baby clings to mother’s breast.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Lost in the laptop is a short movie which brought first prize for Rayyan in his final year in Arena. The 4 minute plus video was something he worked on in his free time for months. He started it as a fun activity but then completed the movie on a bit of serious note. What I appreciate about Rayyan's work is his dedication and patience on working over a project. I am proud of the way he completed his animation course. Rock on Rayyan.... you have miles to go!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

You must be wondering what a big purse Farida carries around
that can actually hold her laptop in it. Wait people, don’t jump to
conclusions. I am talking about the Dell Venue pro (with windows 8.1)which I received
from Ripple Links and Dell for review.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Change! Isn’t that what is life all about? Yeah it is. The
past few months have seen a lot of changes taking place in my life or specifically,
in the life of my children. They have moved on from preparation stage to
starting their careers. Farheena has successfully completed her course in FAME
India and moved on to their vocational center. Rayyan has completed his
animation course and moved on to starting his career as an animator.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Did we actually lose the most loveliest person in our lives 18 years ago? I don't think it is possible to lose someone when you think of them every day.

Actually we think death is the end; but, is it? I don’t know.
Death has not been the end when I lost my sister 18 years ago. It was the
beginning of something painful and sense of loss which kept changing as the
years passed by.

My sister and I were born 3 ½ years apart. For 6 more years, my mom did not get pregnant. We grew up together and almost shared
everything. An apple would be cut into equal halves and we would each have a
piece which was the rule made by my sister. Off course my sister believed in being fair and so it was the person who
did not cut the apple (or whatever it was) that got to pick the piece, moreover, we
would have to cut them alternately.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

I have had my close encounters with the smelly kind … very close
encounters for my comfort. I come from a family where people would go hungry
but not without a bath, particularly my elder sister and my dad.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

How important are our names to us? Many people think that our names decide our fate and have strong influence on our destiny. I don’t. Do I love my name? Not much. Would I be something different if I was not called Farida? No. I would still be the weird crazy person I am now, no matter what you called me. It is like what Gertrude Stein said, “"Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose."

Saturday, March 29, 2014

I have attended many Indibloggers meet so far, but last
Sunday the Kotak Mahindra Bank’s #JifiIsHere blogger meet was completely
outstanding. It was amazing to see that keeping up with their agenda of
socializing banking through facebook, the event was organized in three cities, bringing
together over six hundred bloggers through one unique interactive experience
online.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

I have been married for 24 years. It comes as a big shock to
me whenever I realize it has been so long that I have been married. "Why shocked", you may ask. For one thing I always wanted to pursue science and marriage was
something I did not want to get into, because I felt it would cripple my wings.
Though my mom had me emotionally blackmailed and cajoled to finally say yes, I
developed cold feet and wanted to run away from everything 3 days before the
D day.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

If I had to pick a destination to travel in 2014, I would
surely pick to visit Disneyworld, Florida with my family and friends.

I haven’t traveled much in my life, at least not in real
sense. If I did, then there would be a travel blog describing my experiences
from different parts of the world. My travel has been through watching videos,
reading books and lately by Google search. The one great travel time I remember
is spending 4 months in USA with my friends. That came out as a courtesy of
stay allowed to us by Paula and Jay Gerding, Heidi King and Judi Friedkin. Though
I haven’t been able to visit many lovely places in India or for that matter
Karnataka, somehow my enthusiasm to visit Disneyworld finally came true in 2008.
That one day tour of Disneyworld has been one of the most memorable moments of
our lives.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Today I want to share
a story poem with you. I know it is such a torture to read lengthy works but
this is something very close to my heart and today I feel like sharing with you
people. I usually write something very short but one day this just came out of
blue and it is so relevant to the topic #BackFromTheDead.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

If ‘I’ could
study/specialize in any subject of my choice in UK, what would it be, where and
why? Before answering those questions I would like to say a few things about
myself and my life as a student. I am not a young student but a woman nearing
my fifties.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Earlier, I had written a post about a group of womenwho were still fighting for their freedom, even after 65 years of Indian Independence. Few days ago I visited the site of Milaap, and it was sheer pleasure to see that they were fully funded. I am not sure how big my contribution has been in the cause, even then I feel a sense of achievement. I am happy for these women. Success is the greatest motivator, and being motivated I wish to see another group of women achieve their goals. Kavita Sanadi and Group .

Thursday, January 30, 2014

It is not new for people to read about my online shopping
experience. I have always loved the convenience of checking out large stack of
products and picking them from the comfort of home. It not only saves me time
and money, but also gives me wider range of products to choose from.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Sometimes what you hear or read makes a great difference to
the way you look at things. It has happened to me quite often. Once I read a
quote which said, " There are two ways of spreading light: to be the
candle or the mirror that reflects it”.